I don't have any suggestions about upping your dose, but I hope someone else knows. You can't continue to be in pain, so if the other pills don't help you ......gosh , Pain does something to our ability to 'think' , to our over all well being in our bodies , our disposition and our patience with ourselves and others, I hate pain!! (I'd probably take 1/2 pred, (don't tell anybody I said so!)and keep calling the doctor! ,sarah love anne fron queensland I gotta agree with Lorster; it's rediculous that you can't get a call back and the answers you need when you are in so much pain and so unsure of your medications. I wouldn't advise upping your predisone. That's a visious cycle that I personally would not get into if I was you. It's obvious that you need to be on a DMARD treatment. Why hasn't that begun yet? Getting strung out on predisone isn't a good idea. Insist on starting a DMARD treatment right away once you finally get in to see this guy. I realize you have only been dx'ed a short while now; but any RD worth a grain of salt knows it's going to take a DMARD to slow this sucker down. If your doctor doesn't agree I'd advise a second opinion asap. The sooner you get started on a good theropy the sooner your begin to feel better. It's not instant pain relief.....but it's a long term treatment that will help you manage a productive life long term. Anything else is unacceptable with this disease. I take tramadol. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try it provided like watchingwolf mention you're sure your doctor said it's ok to take it with your other medications. I've found my pharmasist to be one of my best resources with medication questions. If you don't already have one; start visiting the same one every time. Get to know the people behind the counter. Try to use a small pharmacy where it's not overly busy. I hate crowded ones where they don't have time to talk to you. Avoid those. Hope you're feeling better soon. WELCOME ANNE; we're glad you're here. Sounds like you've got a lot of experience to share here and sounds like you've got a great attitude. I hope you'll visit on a regular basis and share your spirit around here. Lorster your definately right. I had a terrible relationship with my previous RD and it had to do with him and her not developing a treatment plan for me. They'd treat the immediate problem and that was it. I was willing to try anything and all I got was pain pills and Prednisone. On my 3rd try I found a great Rheumatologist who is aggressive and did a treatment plan from day one, sent me for all the right testing, and is upfront and honest with me. We're still looking for the right cocktail. We're getting closer. You need someone who will work with you. Remember the doctor works for you. You're in charge. Often it takes time to find a treatment that works.....but what's improtant is that they are working toward that. Lorster; lack of sleep only aggrevates RA. I am all for something to help me sleep; but that alone is only borrowing trouble. If they are not treating the root cause then it's worth less. If there comes a time where you feel like you are making headway with a treatment plan that is aimed at slowing the progression of the disease; but you are still having trouble sleeping then you might want to consider it.....but you are wise not to let them dismiss your problems by prescribing sleeping pills. You'll never get anywhere like that. LinB; Good to hear you are making some progress. Hang in there.....sounds liek you are headed in the right direction. It doesn't happen over night. (Sure would be nice though wouldn't it?) Also; with RA we all have to accept a certain amount of discomfort, stiffness and mobility problems. A certain amount is acceptable and everyone has to get to a point where they stop chasing total relief and appreciate small successes and accept a certain degree of daily troubles as normal. It takes time to recognize these though. I still struggle with what's acceptable and what's not at times.
Ok...I still have not heard back from my Rheumy about uping my Prednisone. I tried calling them all day and there was no answer. There was severe weather here yesterday and maybe they had some problems from it.
Anyway...my PCP had prescribed me Naproxin and Tramadol before the Prednisone and I still have them. They did not do anything before, but maybe the Tramadol will with the Prednisone. What should I do? Up the dosage of Prednisone myself or add the Tramadol?
My feet are VERY achy and I need som relief.
Think it would be wise to wait until you can contact your rheumy before taking any tramadol, too, because of the possible interaction with the cymbalta.
If you weren't taking cymbalta then taking tramadol wouldn't pose a problem. Hope this helps. Take Care
Thanks y'all for your replies.
would be finding a new rheumatologist. How rude, unprofessional and
disrespectful he has been. It takes less than 5 minutes to call and talk to
a patient. This is sheer neglect as far as I'm concerned. You know, as a
nurse, a doctor has a legal obligation to return calls that we make to
them so I'm not sure why it is so different with the patient. Remember
blessed, he is working for you, not the other way around. You need to be
a bee in his bonnet and do some major buzzing tomorrow. And when
you see him (if you have not fired him), I would give him a piece of my
mind. Show up at his office if you have to. Some of this stems from me
spending 2 hours calling a doctor the other night at work and him not
returning my pages. I called him at home and woke his wife up. He'll
think twice about that as I'm sure she let him know. Anyway, sorry to
come across like this but this is a pet peeve of mine. Gotta get to bed.
Nite guys.
Also, try the icy hot patches. You can buy them otc at any drug store. They help a bit to take the edge off. Hot baths to help you relax. Very light stretches, just enough to keep everything from cramping up and hurting worse. I am talking like just sitting in your chair and trying to raise your arms over your head for a minute or two and some circles with your ankles, those types of things.
I also agree, I would try to avoid upping the prednisone. I have been on it a year and its a bitch coming down and I am struggling incredibly at the moment from it. I know its hard when you are in pain, you really do need to get on something else to slow down the ra.
He didn't put you on DMARDS to begin with??? WHAT??? Ok, it is time to
find another rheumatologist. He is a pred happy doctor. And what were
his plans if he did have you wean down? You need to be on a DMARD.
It takes them so long to kick in, why wait longer and suffer longer. This
doctor has obviously never suffered a day in his life and has absolutely no
compassion and empathy for his patients. What a shame. He should not
be a rheumatologist. Lisa, you are off to a bad start with this guy and he
has already given you an idea of what your relationship is going to be
like. You are going to have this disease for the rest of your life so get a
doctor now who you will love and who will work with you to make you feel
better both physically and emotionally. Keep your next appointment with
him but get on the phone and make an appointment with another. You
don't have to tell him, the new rheumy will request your records and then
he will know. Ask around. Find a nurse who works at a hospital where
that doctor practices. She/He will be able to give you an idea of what he
is like. Or maybe you know someone who goes to a good one. Your PCP
will understand and will make the referrel if one is even necessary. This
rheumy is obviously not a match and it is only going to make your
experience with this disease, worse. I think finding the right doctor is as
important as the treatment we receive.
have posted, my rheumy died last month so I don't have one yet. I went
back to the internist who I have been seeing for years and she just wants
to treat the ailments as they arise. No treatment plan. Fortunately, the
rheumatologist (who was in the same practice), had laid out exactly what
was to happen on my next appointment and so she followed his
directions but beyond that, who knows what I should do. She wants to
give me sleeping pills rather than try to figure out why I'm not sleeping.
And there was no mention of any other ways to treat the RA. So, I'm
looking to see another RD when I can find one that is close enough to get
to in a timely manner. I live in a rural setting so it makes it harder. I'm
willing to go to another state if I have to though. I guess I get tired of
hearing how some of our members here are treated by their doctors. And
trust me, these doctors do not change, if they are arrogant to begin with,
they are arrogant always. They may become polished over time but for
the most part, if they dictate the plan on day one, they will continue to
dictate the plan for the rest of their careers.
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